February 10, 2014

There is a campaign going on the give your sweetheart a gun for Valentine's Days instead of candy and and flowers. I'm not sure about that, but I think a hand-stamped card would be really nice!

Here's one that was made by Alicia, one of my team members. It uses one of our Photopolymer Stamp Sets that I really need to add to my wish list! Countless Sayings 2 (135893). To get that awesome background, ink up the embossing folder (Decorative Dots - 133520, free with a $50 purchase) before you run it through the Big Shot (113439).

It might be too late to order supplies to make your Valentines this year, but there are lots of holidays coming up to stamp for: St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, . . .

And if you want to, you get your sweetie a gun, too - just make sure there is a hand-stamped tag on it! :)

February 04, 2014

Here are the Deals for this week! I love that Stampin' Up! is offering special deals each week on current products! But please don't forget that we have an amazing Clearance Rackas well, with discounts up to 80% off. Be sure to browse my Online Store anytime!

February 01, 2014

Tomorrow is my Super Stamp Sunday event (it's not too late to sign up!) and I made some cute gift card holders using Watercolor Note Cards for the door prizes!

I made them by cutting our Watercolor Note Cards in half. They start at 3-1/2" x 5":

I even cut the envelopes in half and sealed them with Washi Tape:

And finally, I made an envelope using our Envelope Punch Board to hold them!

Each card is about 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" and is large enough to tuck in a gift card. I made 2 sets of 4 cards, so 2 lucky people will win these tomorrow, but if you want to make your own, here is what you need:

January 30, 2014

Have you taken advantage of our Sale-A-Bration promotion? This cute card uses 2 FREE Sale-A-Bration products: the See Ya Later stamp set and the striking Designer Series Paper, Sweet Sorbet. I like this card because it is flat yet has a lot of visual texture. It is so easy to make the starburst shape, too! Just cut papers 4" x 1-1/2" and cut each piece in 2 triangles by connecting opposite corners. Pick a point to start and then just lay in the pieces, butting them up against each other. Most of the time, where the points come together won't be very pretty and that is where you add your greeting!

January 28, 2014

Remember when you were a little kid waiting for Santa Claus to come? And then he came and gave you toys that you loved? Well, Sale-A-Bration is a bit like that!

We have come a long way when it comes to Sale-A-Bration! When I first started as a demonstrator, my first (it was called Sell-A-Bration back then) was in 1996 and this is what we got - some cute, single stamps that customers could buy for $1 with a $20 purchase. I still really like that gecko.

Then, in 1997, we amped it up - whole stamp sets for $1 with a $25 purchase:

After that, there were slightly larger stamps for $6.95 with purchase, and finally, today, we have an amazing offering of 13 prizes valued up to $19.95, including 4 stamp sets available in your choice of wood or clear mount - each one FREE with a $50 order! So many, in fact, that the black and white flyers of the past have been replaced with a 20 page full-color brochure complete with bundle suggestions on how you might get to $50! Heads up: the first 9 pages of the brochure feature bundle ideas - things that you MIGHT chose to get to $50. But you can actually pick ANYTHING in any of our catalogs to put together your order. Sale-A-Bration runs from January 28th through March 31, so make sure you place your orders and get awesome free products!! Click HERE for my store!

Weekly Deals for January 28th through February 3rd. Remember, Sale-A-Bration starts today, so for every $50 you order (can be Weekly Deals or Clearance Rack in addition to catalog products), you can get a free Sale-A-Bration product!!

January 27, 2014

So, what does it take to mail a stamped card? Especially if the card isn't totally flat (because you know how much we love our embellishments!) And what size is legal? There are so many questions about postage, I thought I would share some answers with you today.

First, how much? A first class letter costs $.49 to mail (or a Forever stamp). That price is for an envelope that is no heavier than 1 ounce, is between 3-1/2" x 6-1/8" high, is between 5" and 11-1/2" long, is less than 1/4" thick, and has uniform thickness. Oh, and the envelope has to be "machinable", meaning the envelope can go through the sorting machines. Clear cellophane envelopes are not considered "machinable". A second ounce will cost you $.21 more. I finally found a use for that Weight Watcher scale; dig yours out and start weighing your cards! Add another $.21 for non-machinable, rigid, square cards, and "lumpy" envelopes.

By the way, those "lumpy" envelopes still need to be no thicker than 1/4". If they are between 1/4" and 3/4", they are considered "large" envelopes and the postage is more. Large envelopes are 6-1/8" to 12" high, 11-1/2" to 15" long, and no more than 3/4" thick. Large envelopes that are rigid, lumpy, etc, will have to be mailed as packages. Which of course, costs more. Large envelopes cost $.98 for the first ounce and $.21 for each additional ounce.

Wow, that seems like a lot of rules! And there are actually more. For actual prices, guidelines, etc, visit the US Post Office website at https://www.usps.com/

This is what I do:

Put the card in an envelope and address it. If there is anything sticking out (brad, bow, etc), I put a piece of packing tape over the lump so the envelope won't rip.

Weigh the envelope.

Go to the Post Office website and enter the appropriate information ("from" zip code, "to" zip code, weight and what I think it is (envelope, large envelope, or package).

Calculate what stamps I will need. If it is a package and more than a dollar or so, I will go to a website that I found that tells me how many of which stamps I need. When you go to the site the first time, you tell it which denominations of stamps you have and then it remembers that information for the next time. Very cool.

Hope I figured right! Most of the time, I put $.70 on my cards. They are almost always lumpy or a little heavy... sometimes both. Please let me know if you get a card from me and have to pay extra postage - I would feel bad!

I keep track of my postage (I buy my postage online at that same Post Office website) in a book using 6 sheets of Designer Paper and my Rubicoil machine. Each pocket holds different demoninations. Here are a couple of the pages:

If this is too much to keep track of, you can do what some of my friends do: Use 1 stamp for a flat envelope or 2 stamps for a lumpy one. Who knows? It might work!

I still think that mailing letters is a bargain. Less than a dollar to give the most perfect gift: a hand-stamped card from your heart. I can't tell you how many times someone has told me how much their day was lifted when they opened the mailbox and received a card.

How much to mail a hand-stamped card? Probably $.70. Value? Priceless!

What does it mean for you to received a hand-stamped card? Leave a comment and tell me!

January 26, 2014

Many thanks to Patty Bennett, who came up with this brilliant idea - using my favorite Designer Series Paper to make some quick cards. I made these 16 cards in about an hour with not very many supplies. It all starts with cutting up one sheet of the DSP into 3x3 pieces. I chose to make these quite flat with only one element that pops up with a Stampin' Dimensional. Click on the photo to see more detail.